How to transfer wallet.dat files between clients?

[Windsong]

I copied and pasted the wallet file from one computers client to the same folder in another computers client because the first computer was having issues with bitcoin. A reputable bitcoin distributor claims to have sent me money to the first client yesterday, but i couldnt see it because the client wouldnt run on that computer. So i copied the file over to this computer and the computer is showing 0 transactions. Help.

[SomeoneWeird]

I copied and pasted the wallet file from one computers client to the same folder in another computers client because the first computer was having issues with bitcoin. A reputable bitcoin distributor claims to have sent me money to the first client yesterday, but i couldnt see it because the client wouldnt run on that computer. So i copied the file over to this computer and the computer is showing 0 transactions. Help.

If your running it for the first time on the second computer you have to wait for the blockchain to get downloaded. We're around block 134k now.

[Windsong]

Running the client for the first time or the wallet for the first time? I've used the client b4, but never had a transaction

[SomeoneWeird]

Running the client for the first time or the wallet for the first time? I've used the client b4, but never had a transaction

At the bottom, what block is it up to?

[Windsong]

112,000

[bunnybare]

112,000

Got 20,000 blocks to download still.

[Windsong]

Ok, just to make sure, is copy and pasting all I have to do to successfully transfer wallet files? cause thats all i did

[3phase]

Ok, just to make sure, is copy and pasting all I have to do to successfully transfer wallet files? cause thats all i did

Yes, that's all. Keep an eye on what file you're overwriting every time you do that. It's good if you keep a copy of your wallet.dat somewhere safe (not connected to the Internet) and each time you want to do or register a transaction:

1. Copy your safe wallet.dat to a USB stick.
2. Copy it from the USB stick to the computer running Bitcoin (before you start the client - overwriting any wallet.dat there)
3. Start bitcoin client
4. Make the sending transaction (or wait for your receiver BTC to show up until all blocks are downloaded)
5. Close bitcoin client
6. Copy wallet.dat from computer to USB stick (overwriting the existing one)
7. Copy wallet.dat from USB stick to your safe location (overwriting the existing one)

This way you have at least 2 versions of your correct wallet.dat file at any time, so if you mess up with one (overwriting the wrong version) you still have the other.

That's what I am doing - in addition to making sure that my computer with the bitcoin client is not already infected by trojan, virus or malware.